]]>A man in case of harassing woman online sentenced to 6 years jail with Rs. 0.7 million by a magistrate in Lahore.

A case was reported in which the victim; wife of a Pakistan Air Force Officer; was harassed and blackmailed by the stalker, threatening to share her doctored photos on Facebook.

Federal Investigation Authority FIA’s special magistrate Imtiaz Ali Bajwa – after hearing the trials – sentenced the accuse Usman Bin Masood six years imprisonment under Sections 20 (offences against dignity), 21 (offences against modesty) and 24 (cyberstalking) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016 and a fine of about Rs 0.7 million for online harassing woman.

The accused was convicted of cyber offenses in which he digitally manipulates women pictures and shares them on social media channels to blackmail and harass them.

The case was registered after the Air Force Officer launched a complaint against accused when he threatened his wife to share her edited pictures online.

]]>https://www.thecyberforum.com/2018/11/04/harassing-woman-online/feed/0Cybercrime Cases Registration: Clear Rise in Last Three Years in Pakistanhttps://www.thecyberforum.com/2018/10/24/cybercrime-cases-registration/
https://www.thecyberforum.com/2018/10/24/cybercrime-cases-registration/#respondWed, 24 Oct 2018 19:45:53 +0000https://www.thecyberforum.com/?p=2074Social Media has become a hub to gather people on different forums. As it is used by a variety of people to share positive vibes, the virtual space is used by some cyber criminals that convert them into negative. There are above 50 million broadband subscribers and about 150 million cellular phone subscribers that have […]

]]>Social Media has become a hub to gather people on different forums. As it is used by a variety of people to share positive vibes, the virtual space is used by some cyber criminals that convert them into negative.

There are above 50 million broadband subscribers and about 150 million cellular phone subscribers that have occupied virtual space in Pakistan. But most of them are unaware that this space is being negatively used by some cyber criminals that have caused a sharp rise in the cybercrime cases registration in the last three years in Pakistan.

With the sharp increase in the number of cybercrime cases registration, most of them are about harassment of women through social media for which Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) has taken many initiatives to cater the problem.

Dawn News quoted the FIA’s figures that,

There has been observed a sharp increase in the number of cybercrime cases registration in the last three years in which harassment and blackmailing are the most prominent.

According to the report, FIA conducted 2,295 inquiries, registered 255 cases, and made 209 arrests in 2018. These figures are highest since the enactment of Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) by the Parliament in 2016 in a bid to cope with the cybercrime problems.

In 2017, the corresponding figures were 1,290 inquiries, 207 cybercrime cases registration, and 160 arrests were made, whereas in 2016 the figures were 514, 47, and 49 respectively.

According to the FIA officials,

The tremendous growth of social media in recent years caused a sharp rise in the incidents of cyberbullying, harassment, blackmailing, hate speech, online defamation, and online fraud in recent years.

They further told that people usually don’t report the case due to some personal reasons, otherwise, the actual figures may be much higher. The situation will be brought under control as the government recently established 15 new centers.

FIA Cyber Crime Director retired Capt. Mohammad Shoaib, in June, told to the Senate Standing Committee that agency has only 10 experts to investigate cybercrime in the country. In January this year, FIA launched a new Cybercrime Reporting Website which is now permanently moved to NR3C.

FIA cybercrime circle received 2019 complaints back in 2017 which were related to three major categories: 1,592 or 76% are related to blackmail harassment, and defamation through social media, 307 or 14% are related to financial fraud, 116 or 5 % are of threatening calls, and the remaining 186 are pertaining to email hacking, spoofing etc.

When the court heard the bail request of accused Muneeba Shah then FIA’s Director Legal Jawed Ali Khan informed in court that Pashto singer and dancer Muneeba Shah has created the fake Facebook account and uploaded indecent pictures to defame some girls in society.

Accused was arrested two weeks ago. Director Cybercrime Branch Qazi Abdul Hameed Khan ordered to start the investigation upon receiving the complaint in which it was confirmed that accused Muneeba was involved in cybercrime.

She created fake Facebook profiles and uploaded indecent pictures of some females to bring them down in society. Accused’s lawyer told in court that Muneeba is indecent and submitted her bail request which was dismissed after hearing.

]]>https://www.thecyberforum.com/2018/10/12/involved-in-cybercrime/feed/0“Fake Facebook Account” Female Is Arrested for Uploading Her Friend’s Pictureshttps://www.thecyberforum.com/2018/10/09/fake-facebook-account-female-is-arrested/
https://www.thecyberforum.com/2018/10/09/fake-facebook-account-female-is-arrested/#respondTue, 09 Oct 2018 20:48:22 +0000https://www.thecyberforum.com/?p=2039PESHAWAR: A girl is arrested for uploading indecent images and other materials of her friend on a fake Facebook account. FIA’s Cybercrime Wing; upon receiving a complaint of a girl on uploading her indecent pictures and other content on a fake Facebook profile; investigated the case and arrested her friend. According to sources, accused is […]

]]>https://www.thecyberforum.com/2018/10/09/fake-facebook-account-female-is-arrested/feed/0What are the available laws on WhatsApp harassment calls and messages in Pakistan?https://www.thecyberforum.com/2018/09/24/available-laws-on-whatsapp-harassment-calls-and-messages-in-pakistan/
https://www.thecyberforum.com/2018/09/24/available-laws-on-whatsapp-harassment-calls-and-messages-in-pakistan/#respondMon, 24 Sep 2018 17:17:49 +0000https://www.thecyberforum.com/?p=1990What is the most trending app for quite a long time? I know you must be thinking of Facebook. Right? But, there’s another social app that connects people and is lying all the time in your cell phones and yes; this is WhatsApp. You share texts, documents, locations, gifs, audios, videos and one thing which […]

]]>What is the most trending app for quite a long time? I know you must be thinking of Facebook. Right? But, there’s another social app that connects people and is lying all the time in your cell phones and yes; this is WhatsApp. You share texts, documents, locations, gifs, audios, videos and one thing which you secretly share. Guessing??? Of course, this is a screenshot. It is trendy to have proofs of your conversation and one can never deny it.

As there’s good; there’s bad. Many people falsely use WhatsApp to threaten or harass someone by alleged calls and messages which trouble the victim. There are laws on WhatsApp harassment calls and messages in many countries that protect their citizens. We have discussed in Available Laws on WhatsApp Conversation previously and now we’re going in-depth in available laws on WhatsApp harassment calls and messages in Pakistan.

So let’s dig in it.

WhatsApp calls are traceable

The first thing that I need to make clear is – if you get a threatening call on your sim then you should contact police but if the same happens on WhatsApp then this would fall in cybercrime and this time, you should contact to the FIA’s Cybercrime Wing. Most of the time people approach to the wrong side to get solved their queries.

Since its launch, WhatsApp is being used in many places around the globe. There are political, social, freelance, discussion, friends, family, religious and many groups under different tags on WhatsApp. But, not forgetting the bad ones who have groups to plan an indecent or terrorist activity. There have revealed many extortion and target killing cases in Karachi where criminals have used WhatsApp to coordinate with each other. By saying this, I must tell you all that WhatsApp messages and calls are traceable. So if anyone is doing any activity, he/she can be traced by a single message or call.

Deleting messages will not help you

If you think that by deleting some messages and clearing your history will pull you out from the danger circle of getting caught then sadly, you’re wrong. WhatsApp is now under the authority of Facebook and upon getting a complaint, FIA can send the dossier to the respective authority to get all data – whether deleted or not. There’s an exchangeof data treaty exists between FIA and Facebook, WhatsApp and other social media channels.

Available laws on WhatsApp harassment calls and messages

Let’s briefly discuss the available laws on WhatsApp harassment calls and messages in Pakistan.

If some has hacked your WhatsApp account, through the web or by any other mean, then there is 3 years imprisonment, Rs. 5 million fine or both charged, depending on the severity of that offense.

If someone harassed you either in a WhatsApp group or in a private conversation through any abusing content – other than pornographic – then there is 3 years imprisonment and Rs. 1 million fine or both.

If someone shares unethical pictures then under Section 21 for that cognizable offense, there is 5 years imprisonment, Rs. 5 million fine or both.

Punishment of these crimes for accused under 18 extends to 10 years imprisonment with Rs. 5 million fine or both.

Punishment of 3 years imprisonment, 1 million fine or both (in severe cases) for

Allegedly seeing and checking someone’s WhatsApp

Sending teasing messages or calls even after receiving any warning to not contact again

Spying/stalking on WhatsApp

Broadcasting a false content through WhatsApp conversations and groups

Get protected

You need to make a protective shield around you. For this, you should

Not reply to any suspicious message or attend any call.

Not click spam links.

Never check key block while using WhatsApp web.

FAQ

If any government official is tracking your data then what should we do?

Well, if you’re innocent and any such person is doing to track your data without any legal permission which is not benefitting the public body but for his/her own personal grudges then you need to talk man-in-man, ask to stop doing that and tell him/her about available laws on WhatsApp. If he/she, after receiving your warning, continues doing same then you should pursue the case and launch a complaint against the accused.

But if they’re doing this for such a person who is involved in any activity against country then clearly saying that they have rights to do so as they are the security and public agency. One can do nothing to stop make them stop.

Giving an example here, last year a DIG of Gilgit-Baltistan harassed his ex-wife by sharing her indecent pictures. An FIR was launched against him and he was suspended from his position.

If you’re in trouble

Even after doing all precautionary measures, if somehow you have become a victim of such harassments and want to require a help then taking screenshots should be your first priority. I would strongly recommend to get in touch with a cybercrime litigator and launch your complaint in person. Again saying, pre-fortifying yourself against such cases should be on top of your priority list.

Ok! Talk further

FIA Cybercrime Wing has not that many cases of cybercrime as Indians have because under Indian Information Technology Act 2000, there are many cybercrime cases – even in Supreme Court – which they have successfully pursued. But FIA has resolved many cases in which recent one is from Punjab University Lahore, where a faculty member of Law Department has registered a case under PECA against other faculty members for getting abused in a WhatsApp group.

Want any help?

Upon concluding this, I must ask you all that if anyone of you has any query regarding such incidents or want to share any experience; just comment below, so that we all can get to know about root-causes of these crimes. I, with my team, is available 24/7 to make our people safe from any cyber harassment. Feel free to talk with us.

Till then share the information and keep yourself and people around you safe.

]]>https://www.thecyberforum.com/2018/09/24/available-laws-on-whatsapp-harassment-calls-and-messages-in-pakistan/feed/0Accuse punished 6 years imprisonment for harassing girls on social mediahttps://www.thecyberforum.com/2018/09/08/imprisonment-for-harassing-girls/
https://www.thecyberforum.com/2018/09/08/imprisonment-for-harassing-girls/#respondSat, 08 Sep 2018 19:20:02 +0000https://www.thecyberforum.com/?p=1971ISLAMABAD: Court announced 6 years imprisonment and 4 lakh fine in case of harassing girls on social media. Tahir Mehmood, Session Court Judge, announced the final decision on the case of harassing girls on social media. Court announced 6 years of imprisonment and 4 lakh fine to accuse Aamir Shams. In case of non-payment, the […]

]]>https://www.thecyberforum.com/2018/09/08/imprisonment-for-harassing-girls/feed/0Accuse Remanded for Trapping Girlshttps://www.thecyberforum.com/2018/09/02/accuse-remanded-for-trapping-girls/
https://www.thecyberforum.com/2018/09/02/accuse-remanded-for-trapping-girls/#respondSun, 02 Sep 2018 19:21:02 +0000https://www.thecyberforum.com/?p=1949Lahore: Accuse was arrested and remanded for trapping girls on the pretext of helping them get jobs. Mughees Ahmed was the main member of a gang involved in targeting girls by sending them their obscene videos and pictures and demanding money. Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) officials produced a suspect before the magistrate court on 30th […]

]]>Lahore: Accuse was arrested and remanded for trapping girls on the pretext of helping them get jobs.

Mughees Ahmed was the main member of a gang involved in targeting girls by sending them their obscene videos and pictures and demanding money.

Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) officials produced a suspect before the magistrate court on 30th August, for involvement in making sexually explicit videos of girls and blackmailing them afterward.

The Investigation Officer (IO) implored the court that he had received the information through a reliable source that a gang is involved in harassing girls on the pretext of getting jobs. He added that the gang has extorted money from several victims.

“We received information that the main accused, along with other members of his gang is present in a house and can be arrested.”

The IO sought to accuse remanded for trapping girls of 14 days on appeal to arrest other members and seizing more data which they had been using. However, the judge granted 4 days physical remand and handled the case to FIA officials.

Subsequently, a 5 member team was formed, headed by Fakhar Abbasa, to raid the house and arrested Mughees Ahmed. Senior Investigator Rana Obaidullah Minhas said that they seized all belongings with cell phones having sexually explicit videos of different females.

During an investigation the accused also confessed that he committed offenses and sexually exploited females for financial benefits.

The case is registered against him under sections 20, 21 and 24 of PECA-2016, 420, 109 of the Pakistan Panel Code.

]]>https://www.thecyberforum.com/2018/09/02/accuse-remanded-for-trapping-girls/feed/0What Is Online Defamation & Its Remedies?https://www.thecyberforum.com/2018/08/26/what-is-online-defamation-its-remedies/
https://www.thecyberforum.com/2018/08/26/what-is-online-defamation-its-remedies/#respondSun, 26 Aug 2018 18:52:11 +0000https://www.thecyberforum.com/?p=1894Introduction Imagine! It’s a fine morning, you wake up, hold your mobile phone in your hand and check your favorite social applications like Twitter, Facebook or WhatsApp. When you check the notifications and news feed, all you discover is that a serious attack that has been made on your reputation by alleging and attributing false […]

Imagine! It’s a fine morning, you wake up, hold your mobile phone in your hand and check your favorite social applications like Twitter, Facebook or WhatsApp. When you check the notifications and news feed, all you discover is that a serious attack that has been made on your reputation by alleging and attributing false statements about you and your character and all of your friends and relatives are inquiring you about the genuineness about such defamatory statements. This attack on your reputation is known as Defamation.

Defamation is, someone allegedly attributing false and defamatory statements about your character to degrade your repute. As every second person out there is addicted to the internet and social applications, they are more prone to get caught in a category that – in one way or another – ruin their personalities through social media which is Online Defamation. This article is purely subject to discuss defamation, its available laws & punishments, and defense in detail.

Main Definition

According to Defamation Ordinance 2002; any wrongful act, publication or circulation of a false statement which injures the reputation of a person, tends to lower him/her in the estimation of other or tends to reduce him/her to ridicule, unjust criticism, dislike or hatred by using computer and internet. And, it has been communicated to a third party – at least one person – other than the person defamed.

Types of Defamation

There are two main types of defamation as per Defamation Ordinance 2002:

Slander occurs at the moment when an oral or verbal defamatory remark which is not recorded but directly heard by another person resulting degrading in reputation or character of a person.

Libel occurs when any defamatory remark result degrading in reputation or character of a person has been published or communicated through writing, radio, audio, by any electronic means or modern means of devices like computer or internet. Online defamation also falls under the category of libel.

Elements of Online Defamation

In order to claim a person liable for defamation, the victim has to prove that defamation statement:

is false,

is directly attributed and linked with the name of the victim and his reputation,

has been communicated and published to a third party – at least one person – other than the victim,

has resulted in damages.

First and foremost, in order to prove that the said statement or publication under online defamation as per the Defamation Ordinance 2002, is false. If any statement which has been published is true based on truth, fair, in the public interest and has been published in good faith then it doesn’t constitute online defamation. Truth is always true and always protected by law no matter if that truth hurts or cause grief to the victim against whom it has been disclosed. For instance, if any comment has been made via the internet that a person has committed murder or was penalized for committing a crime like corruption or bribe then a person against whom such statement has been made cannot sue the person disclosing and publishing such statements via the internet.

Secondly, it is necessary that the defamatory statement is directly attributed and linked with the name of the victim and his/her reputation. We have seen many times in movies or documentaries that at the beginning of movies a disclaimer is given which states that ”The persons portrayed in it are not based on real people”. This disclaimer is done to reduce the possibility of legal action for defamation from a person who may believe that he has been defamed by his depiction, likeness, and resemblance in the movie.

Therefore, an action of defamation cannot be initiated by a person if any such declaimer has been given in any movies or documentaries available online and has a resemblance with any person.

Next is that defamatory statement has to be published and communicated through the internet to at least one person – other than the person defamed. If a defamatory statement has not been communicated or published to some other person then one cannot charge person liable for the online defamation.

Last but certainly not the least is most important one: in order to sue for defamation; one has to prove that the defamatory statement or publication has resulted in harm or damage to the victim and has affected his/her personal and professional life. For example, any defamatory statement has been published or communicated against an employee of an office and due to this, he/she has been terminated from the job then an employee can sue a person for defamation.

Remedies against Defamation

Here we are going to discuss the most crucial element of this article which is – available laws on online defamation.

The offense of Online Defamation can be reported under the Defamation Ordinance 2002. One can seek legal remedy against online defamation by filing a suit for damages for defamation. Prior to filing a case; as per Section 8 of this Ordinance; a victim of online defamation, within two months after getting knowledge of any publication of the defamatory statement, has to give the person (making defamatory statements or publications) fourteen days’ notice in writing of his intention of initiating legal proceedings against him.

Trial and Punishments

As per the Defamation Ordinance, the trial of defamation case falls within the jurisdiction of District Court. The Court shall decide a defamation case within a period of ninety days. If any person is aggrieved of the final order passed by District Court, he may file an appeal against the final order before the High Court within thirty days and High Court shall decide the appeal within sixty days. Further, the provisions of the Code of Civil Procedure 1908 and the Qanoon-e-Shahadat Order 1984 is applicable to the proceedings.

When the trial is concluded and the person is found guilty of defamation, the District Court may pass an order directing the person to tender an apology to the victim of the defamation. If the victim accepts and may pass an order to publish an apology in the same manner and with the same prominence as the defamatory statement was made and pay reasonable compensatory damages as well as general damages within a minimum of Rs. 50,000/- (Rupees fifty thousand). And if the victim has suffered any other damages, the court may recover the same from the guilty person and pay the victim.

Defense to Defamation

In defamation proceedings, a person has a defense if he shows that –

He was not the author, editor, publisher or printer of the statement complained of;

The matter commented on is fair and in the public interest and is an expression of opinion and not an assertion of fact and was published in good faith;

It is based on truth and was made for the public good;

Assent was given for the publication by the plaintiff;

Offer to tender a proper apology and publish the same was made by the defendant but was refused by the plaintiff;

An offer to print or publish a contradiction or denial in the same manner and with the same prominence was made but was refused by the plaintiff;

The matter complained of was privileged communication such as between lawyer and client or between persons having fiduciary relations; and

The matter is converted by absolute or qualified privilege which is as follows:

Absolute privilege: Any publication of statement made in the federal or provincial legislatures, reports, papers, notes and proceedings ordered to be published by either House of the Parliament or by the Provincial Assemblies. This should be related to judicial proceedings ordered to be published by the court or any report, note or matter written or published by or under the authority of Government shall have the protection of absolute privilege.

Qualified privilege: Any fair and accurate publication of parliamentary proceedings, or judicial proceedings which the public may attend and statements made to the proper authorities in order to procure the redress of public grievances shall have the protection of qualified privilege.

Few Leading Defamation Cases in Pakistan History

Ali Zafar and Meesha Shafi Case

In a statement on Twitter on April 19, Shafi wrote,

“I have been subjected, on more than one occasion, to sexual harassment of a physical nature at the hands of a colleague from my industry: Ali Zafar […] It has been an extremely traumatic experience for me and my family […] I feel betrayed by his behaviour and attitude and I know that I’m not alone.”

Shortly after, Zafar had denied the allegations in a statement and sent a legal notice to Shafi, demanding that Shafi has to delete the tweet of accusing him of harassment and issue an apology on Twitter. Zafar then filed a defamation case against Shafi for damages worth Rs. 1 billion. The court, in its last hearing, had asked Shafi to submit a reply and case is still pending before the Court.

Journalist Awarded Rs. 30 Million in Defamation Case

The court of the additional district and session judge, in a defamation case, fined three people Rs. 1 million each for uploading objectionable material against a senior journalist on the social media. The judge of the additional district and session court, Zaiba Rashid, announced the verdict after completing hearing into the case. The court heard the defense and prosecution lawyers. After examining other evidence in the case, it found guilty a poet and Awami National Party (ANP) activist Rahim Khan and two others Bacha Khan and Gul Samar Shah in the case. They were ordered to pay damages to a former president of Nowshera Press Club, Mushtaq Paracha.

In his plea, Mushtaq Paracha accused the three persons in the question of hurting his feelings by running a malicious campaign against him and defaming him and his family. He had asked relief under the Defamation Act 2002.

Final Thoughts!

No doubt, defaming someone is an indecent act no matter what the situation is. If you know anything wrong in someone then point it out before publically speaking of it. In resistance, you should go for a legal approach towards that person and warn him about your legal proceedings but throwing defaming stones on someone is certainly immoral. Just realize the rationality of such cases and always go towards the right direction with good intention.

]]>https://www.thecyberforum.com/2018/08/26/what-is-online-defamation-its-remedies/feed/0How to deal with social media harassment?https://www.thecyberforum.com/2018/08/10/how-to-deal-social-media-harassment/
https://www.thecyberforum.com/2018/08/10/how-to-deal-social-media-harassment/#respondFri, 10 Aug 2018 18:20:35 +0000https://www.thecyberforum.com/?p=1835Social media harassment’s consequences are two-folded; where it not only puts someone in danger but also lands accuse in jail. Over and above, social media harassment cause defamation and a long run to make one’s self-clear. Many people ask about the consequences and how to be self-secure from such an act. Being an IT expert […]

]]>Social media harassment’s consequences are two-folded; where it not only puts someone in danger but also lands accuse in jail. Over and above, social media harassment cause defamation and a long run to make one’s self-clear. Many people ask about the consequences and how to be self-secure from such an act. Being an IT expert and cybercrime litigator, it’s my area of interest and for this reason, a major portion of this blog is designed primarily to give an answer to each question in the best possible way using simplest language for quick understanding.

Various Types of Social Media Harassment

Social media harassment includes creating a fake account impersonating someone else, keep sending messages regardless of your warning, posting indecent content under someone else’s name or even misuse of another’s data. If someone is under 18 and commit the crime he/she will definitely be liable for punishment. First of all, using Facebook under 18 should be restricted. And here in Pakistan, there are lots of people doing such things unknowingly that it as a crime.

How to refrain from social media harassment?

Now, I will discuss how to avoid social media harassment. First and easiest way is to block the profile, use privacy shield to secure your account, better to look profile thoroughly before accepting a request from an unknown person and even meet in person before making friendship. You should be really careful and be aware of your limits before talking to any stranger. Cybercrime law is a remedial measure for all those who are victims of this crime. If anyone of you is committing it intentionally or even unintentionally, you need to set it to stop immediately. It is a lesson for all of you and it should be of prime responsibility to educate the people around you.

Examples of Registered Cases

Here are many examples of registered cases under cybercrime law and some are stated in previous blogs as well, about faculty members of Punjab University Law Department and DIG of Gilgit-Baltistan for uploading obnoxious pictures of his ex-wife by creating a bogus Facebook profile.

I am going to share an experience with you all. Once, a female has contacted me and told that she wants to file a case against someone for harassing her. When I talked to her father, he said that we are not going to pursue the case, we do not want to indulge in court and just want to settle the matter by negotiation. Well, you need to use your right for your own sake and pursue the case further. Though FIA resources are limited and the judiciary system is outdated, but it is important to deter people from doing such things in the worst cases.

FAQs

There is a list of questions that many people have asked but only selected and main ones are included in this section.

What kind of activities fall under social media harassment?

Creating a bogus profile, hate speech (which is done mainly for the religious, cultural and political issues), cyberbullying and misrepresentation; all are the branches of social media harassment which is categorically a crime and is subject of up to 3 years imprisonment of the unbailable case.

If someone is harassing you by your given information in an organization, so can we take a legal action against the accused?
I must say that, if any person confesses that he has taken your information through an organization then at first you need to access to that organization as might be someone would involve in it. First and foremost, you should serve them a legal notice through your council using the legal process which specifies the illegal use of your data to harass you or contact you. Secondly, cybercrime will start right after receiving any further message when you give any warning.

If someone has created your fake Facebook profile from abroad and molest you, so is there any legal action to take against them or we can simply report the suspect on Facebook?
Subsequently, yes you can report it through a legal channel and FIA cybercrime cell will contact the Interpol to arrest the person, block that page and fine penalty to the suspect. It falls in hate speech and 7 years imprisonment applied for that.

What are the rules and regulations that we need to follow which are mentioned in cyber law?

Well, this is a very versatile question and we are not going in depth. At first, you should avoid creating any fake profile, using hate speech on religion, race or politics; stop doing harassment, bullying, hacktivism, spamming and terrorism.

What is considered harassing through text messages?

It is your co-responsibility to warn him doing such things and inform about the availability of cybercrime law. And if the person keeps on sending you further messages then you can report the case.
Why are mostly social media harassment cases unreported in Pakistan?
This is a widely asked question. There are many reasons behind this in which the most important one is; lack of education factor. Many people have told me about the circumstances they are facing and asked me what to do in such situations. I’ve educated them about all possibilities as many people do not even think it is a crime. I have prosecuted many cases in which most of the suspects said that “They were not doing it intentionally and they never thought it would be a crime”. Our judiciary system is outdated which is another factor of an increased number of unreported cases. In the majority of the cases, females have to face harassment and molesting, they usually do pursue but could not register the case and again educational hesitation is the main reason behind that.

How cyberbullying is different from personal bullying?

How to report against someone who is harassing me in a public group chat?

If someone is harassing you on a public group then, first of all, you must take all screenshots, copy the URL of group and profile of the accused one and save that as evidence for further investigation. Then as stated in previous blogs, draft a complaint, let your council or any legal expert check that and submit to the FIA station in your vicinity. For effective action try to submit your complaint in person rather than posting by mail. As I stated earlier; justice will not come to you, you need to go after that.

What responsibilities do social media sites have, to prevent social harassment and is there any law on reporting against social sites?

Yes, there are orders on Facebook to prevent such kind of cyberbullying acts. As it is uncertain for authority to know the authenticity of a profile and for this ambiguity, there is a report option for you. There is no law related to reporting against any social media site for which each site has given its specific criteria and method of reporting a profile. She further asked about harassment through emails so I would say yes, cybercrime definitely includes harassment through any information system.

What kind of activities fall under social media harassment?

Creating a bogus profile, hate speech (which is done mainly for the religious, cultural and political issues), cyberbullying and misrepresentation all are the branches of social media harassment which is categorically a crime and is subject of up to 3 years imprisonment of the unbailable case.

If someone is harassing you by your given information in an organization, so can we take a legal action against the accused?
I must say that, if any person confesses that he has taken your information through an organization then at first you need to access to that organization as might be someone would involve in it. First and foremost, you should serve them a legal notice through your council using a legal process which specifies the illegal use of your data to harass you or contact you. Secondly, cybercrime will start right after receiving any further message when you give any warning.

If someone has created your fake Facebook profile from abroad and molest you, so is there any legal action to take against them or we can simply report the suspect on Facebook?
Subsequently, yes you can report it through a legal channel and FIA cybercrime cell will contact the Interpol to arrest the person, block that page and fine penalty to the suspect. It falls in hate speech and 7 years imprisonment applied for that.

What are the rules and regulations that we need to follow which are mentioned in cyber law?

Well, this is a very versatile question and we are not going in depth. At first, you should avoid creating any fake profile, using hate speech on religion, race or politics stop doing harassment, bullying, hacktivism, spamming and terrorism.

What is considered harassing through text messages?

It is your co-responsibility to warn him doing such things and inform about the availability of cybercrime law. And if the person keeps on sending you further messages then you can report the case.

Why are mostly social media harassment cases unreported in Pakistan?

This is a widely asked question. There are many reasons behind this in which the most important one is; lack of education factor. Many people have told me about the circumstances they are facing and asked me what to do in such situations. I’ve educated them about all possibilities as many people do not even think it is a crime. I have prosecuted many cases in which most of the suspects said that “They were not doing it intentionally and they never thought it would be a crime”. Our judiciary system is outdated which is another factor in the increased number of unreported cases. In the majority of the cases, females have to face harassment and molesting, they usually do pursue but could not register the case and again educational hesitation is the main reason behind that.

How cyberbullying is different from personal bullying?

How to report against someone who is harassing me in a public group chat?

If someone is harassing you on a public group then, first of all, you must take all screenshots, copy the URL of group and profile of the accused one and save that as evidence for further investigation. Then as stated in previous blogs, draft a complaint, let your council or any legal expert to check that and submit to the FIA station in your vicinity. For effective action try to submit your complaint in person rather than posting by mail. As I stated earlier; justice will not come to you, you need to go after that.

What responsibilities do social media sites have, to prevent social harassment and is there any law on reporting against social sites?

Yes, there are orders on Facebook to prevent such kind of cyberbullying acts. As it is uncertain for authority to know the authenticity of a profile and for this ambiguity, there is a report option for you. There is no law related to reporting against any social media site for which each site has given its specific criteria and method of reporting a profile. She further asked about harassment through emails so I would say yes, cybercrime definitely includes harassment through any information system.

Get in touch with us!

This article has disclosed all the important factors on social media harassments and how to protect from them. I have used simple language for maximum understanding among all strata and tried to cover all questions in the easiest way. If anyone of you has any question or ambiguity, then leave it in the comment box or contact us personally. I assure you all that your information will be kept confidential and we’ll be back with more satisfying answers. Till then, say no to cyberbullying.

]]>https://www.thecyberforum.com/2018/08/10/how-to-deal-social-media-harassment/feed/0First FIR in Islamabad Cyber Crime Reportinghttps://www.thecyberforum.com/2018/08/10/first-cyber-crime-reporting-center/
https://www.thecyberforum.com/2018/08/10/first-cyber-crime-reporting-center/#respondFri, 10 Aug 2018 18:05:26 +0000https://www.thecyberforum.com/?p=1828ISLAMABAD: Recently, a new Cyber Crime Reporting Center is established in Islamabad. The center has already started its operations. In this respect, first FIR has been registered regarding a female harassment case. The female was blackmailed through social media. The suspect is now under custody and further investigation is under process.

]]>ISLAMABAD: Recently, a new Cyber Crime Reporting Center is established in Islamabad. The center has already started its operations.

In this respect, first FIR has been registered regarding a female harassment case. The female was blackmailed through social media. The suspect is now under custody and further investigation is under process.